Mystery Worshipper: Redhead.The church: Christchurch with All Saints, Blackpool, EnglandDenomination: Church of England.The building: Big, brick and red. I was slightly daunted by the
"Make your goal Jesus" poster outside in honour of the World Cup. Inside,
it was a little threadbare but quite your standard traditional Anglican
look, with a nice area for tea and chat at the entrance.The church: I had the feeling it was a good, close-knit community from the photos of the church weekend away and a match the baby photo to the adult photo competition board.The neighbourhood: Remarkably ordinary, yet just five minutes walk
away from the transitory, tacky extravaganza which is Blackpool seafront.
Quite a relief.The cast: Rev. Stephen Tranter, drafted in from the next parish for the day.

What was the name of the service?
Well, in one part of the noticesheet it was called Evening Praise (which it was) and in another part it was called Holy Communion (which it wasn't).

How full was the building?
We counted about 30 people, scattered around the building, unlike the nearby
pubs. Not exactly bursting at the seams.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
I was utterly freaked by being 10 minutes early, unheard of generally, but we were greeted with a noticesheet, book and a smile  and then left alone.

Was your pew comfortable?
Not bad. There were cushions, even if they were a bit tatty.

How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Subdued, a bit of whispering as people gathered but not much chat.

What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"You'll be pleased to know I'm not leading the service tonight,"
followed by some notices and a handover to Rev. Tranter for the God stuff.

What books did the congregation use during the
service?
NIV Bibles and Songs of Fellowship.

What musical instruments were played?
Only piano  but what a pianist. She thrilled, she thumped out the chords,
she was a virtuoso. And she played the organ towards the end too.

Did anything distract you?
The woman in front of us who obviously dying for a fag all the way through
the sermon getting up at the midway point with her roll-ups and heading
out.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Sadly as a congregation we could not compete with the pianist for musical
aplomb. More choruses than hymns, but finishing off gustily with "How
great thou art".

Exactly how long was the sermon?
20 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
6  He had a beautiful accent, which made the sermon almost like
being told a bedtime story. It was very soothing.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
Families are hard work and full of people making mistakes, just like they
were in the Bible too. We need God's help.

Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
I really liked the practicality of the prayers and of the sermon; the
way in which the Bible was seen as a collection of stories to help us
learn about life, not as a list of rules. He made real connections between
the Bible and our lives today.

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
There was nothing too hell-ish, apart from my self inflicted tiredness
from the night before. I kept nearly slipping off my pew and jerking violently
awake again.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I wasn't by myself so it made it easier to hang around afterwards. Lots
of people asked if we were new or if we were here on holiday (which we
were). The minister asked if we were on a hen night, which seemed unlikely.
We did plenty of small-talking over coffee, had a discussion about why
on earth we had come all the way from London to Blackpool, and browsed
the bookstall.

How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
The tea and coffee were both fine  although not fairly traded. They were
accompanied with plain, dull and very worthy biscuits.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
6  I'd like to try it again in the morning when I think there'd be more people. However I felt welcomed and enjoyed the service, and could imagine going back if I'm ever in Blackpool again (on a hen night perhaps?).

Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes, mostly. I love going to different churches simply to see the huge
variety of ways to worship God, and of people in His family.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
I'm afraid it's got to be the informal mid-service smoking break.

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